The music of Kiila has undergone something of a metamorphosis during the past three years. On the new album Silmät sulkaset, the band gently conjures up mildly otherworldly tunes with a peaceful air and feathered eyes. What was once free pop played by two is now free folk played by seven. The language of the songs has reverted back to Finnish, and the human voices rest on a warm texture of sounds from an array of acoustic and electronic instruments. Carefully arranged songs alternate with those improvised on the spot, all bearing the mark of a handcrafted article.

Much has happened since Kiila’s 2001 album Heartcore, then. The band spent nearly two years feeling for a direction and, once confident enough, completed Silmät sulkaset in less than a year (apart from the improvised piece Kiviä ja taivasta which dates further back to a wintry evening in Ulvila). The change in direction can be partly explained by the addition of new members. In the course of three years, five of our friends became bandmates. Juho Kaitajärvi, Markus Mäki, Laura Naukkarinen, Juri Puhakka and Sami Rouhento all brought many influences with them; thanks to their contributions, the new album is the fruit of a collective effort above all.

The established yet highly flexible line-up has encouraged Kiila to play out considerably more often than in the past. Our area of operation has also extended well beyond our native shores: in March 2003, Kiila appeared live in Sweden, Denmark and Belgium as well as Finland. We slept little and drove lots, played some nice venues and met the nicest of people. In October, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Kiila by recording a session for VPRO Radio and appearing at a soirée held by the station in Amsterdam alongside three notable American acts.

Silmät sulkaset is jointly released by Fonal Records and K-RAA-K3. Later this spring, Fonal Records will also be releasing a collection of Kiila music videos on limited edition VHS. Contemporaries-VHS features eleven directors presenting their visual impressions of songs on Heartcore and the Free Will is Hard to Kill ep. Some of the videos have been shown in Europe and South America before. In early March, two Kiila videos were featured in the music video screenings at Tampere Film Festival.

In 2004, we look forward to travelling around, making new friends, playing lots of music and having fun together while doing it. Chances are our next album will not take as long to appear as this one did. – Give them our fastest steeds!